How do you select a good school for your child?

How do you tell a good school from a bad one? Moving to another city is not the only reason to choose a school; in many districts, parents can chose a school. The opportunity maybe a result of open enrollment policy, or a consequence of No Child Left behind mandate. Yet many parents know very little about their neighborhood schools, and rely on unreliable personal impressions of their friends, coworkers, and neighbors. The choice of school is one of the most important decisions affecting your child’s success in education, so it is worth investing more time in it. My recommendation is to go through a three step process:

1. “Show me the data.” Most states have extensive data on school performance on their websites. Just google for “Yourstate department of education,” and then for a link “for parents” or NCLB report cards, or something like that.  This will give you a broad picture of performance on state tests, graduation rates, absenteeism rates, etc. Often a crude estimate, this will clearly identify failing schools and high performing schools. Some districts have more sophisticated measures of performance. For example, the Denver Public Schools has the School Satisfaction Survey. Some districts will also take growth indicators, a very important ones. A school may be located in an affluent neighborhood, and kids do OK on tests, but they may or may not learn very much from grade to grade. Or, a school may work with more challenging kids, and its test scores do not look that impressive. However, if you measure how much children progress over the year, it will look much better.
2. Once you identify a few schools within the range of test scores, go and visit. There are tell-tales signs professional educators look for, but just trust your gut feeling about the place. It is important for your cultural backgrounds and expectations to match school’s culture and philosophy. If you value order, respect for authority, and cleanliness, you will find certain schools appealing. If you value creativity, spontaneity, and arts, another building will feel like home. Don’t trust schools’ and districts’ brochures, vision and mission statements, and other official documents: those rarely reflect the true nature of an institution. Stay away from schools where most of teachers seem to be unhappy and annoyed – this is a sure sign of discontent.
3. Take your child or children with you on school trips. Their preferences may or may not match yours, but make an effort to listen to what they feel and experienced. All private schools and some public schools will allow you to arrange for a day visit, so your child can take a deeper look. One word of caution: many pre-teens and teens value friendship over educational quality. If you suspect your kid is just trying to get into a school where her or his friends are – it is not a good enough reason. Insist on asking your child about how good an education she or he may get in this or that school.

Topics: education , K-12 , school choice , No Child Left Behind